As someone who was born toward the tail end of 1990, I consider myself pretty much the ultimate child of the 90s. I grew up in the golden age of Disney movies, sitcoms, and radio rock, and I absolutely still wear those influences on my sleeve. The Lion King and Aladdin? Seen them so many times they’ve lost meaning. Friends and Boy Meets World? Quote them daily. 90s radio rock? Probably going to play at least a few of those hits at my wedding. But unlike many people who are still holding onto their Oasis and Sister Hazel CDs all these years later, I’m not doing it out of simple nostalgia. No, most of the bands that I grew up loving are still making records today, and I’m still listening because frankly, I love the music.

This playlist came together late last month, after I got an advance for the new solo record from Emerson Hart. For those of you who don’t know, Emerson Hart is the frontman for Tonic, the one hit wonder band from the 90s that is/was responsible for that “If You Could Only See” song that inexplicably still gets played in grocery stores. The record is largely generic adult contemporary alternative rock - you know, big choruses, lovelorn lyrics, the works - but I dug it right away anyway, and that got me to thinking about how many irrelevant, forgotten 90s bands are still occupying real estate - and getting play time - on my iPod.

So I put a few rules in place for myself (songs had to be five years old or less, artists had to have either gone on lengthy hiatuses or gone solo/started new bands, etc.) and went to work. The resulting mix is made up entirely of artists who can be tied, often most notably, to a hit song or two from the 90s. I skipped obvious inclusions like Pearl Jam, the Foo Fighters, and Green Day, because really, everyone knows where they are now. But the songs here come largely from albums that were ignored or quickly forgotten, and I’m hoping that this playlist can give them a second chance.